Insecticide

Langley Air Force Base and parts of the surrounding community will be sprayed with Dibrom-14 insecticide today and Wednesday to control mosquitoes. A specially equipped C-130E aircraft from Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio will do the spraying. The aircraft will take off and land at Langley. Spray flights, scheduled between 5 and 7 p.m., will include the air base, all of Hampton, Poquoson and parts of York County. The Plum Tree Island area will not be sprayed. The insecticide normally leaves no visible residue and is not harmful to most humans and animals.

NEWPORT NEWS - The city will soon open a permanent facility in Denbigh that will allow residents to drop off household hazardous waste materials. The site, at the Denbigh composting facility off of Atkinson Way, will open Friday, Nov. 18, replacing a quarterly program where residents could drop off hazardous materials at Gildersleeve Middle School. Public Works Director Reed Fowler said that in addition to helping the environment, it will be more convenient for residents.

An Environmental Protection Agency biologist says he was wrong when he described Dibrom-14, the insecticide that the Air Force uses to kill mosquitoes on the Peninsula, as a chemical that degrades into a carcinogen. The Air Force has scheduled mosquito spraying flights here today and Wednesday. Spraying was postponed last month because of bad weather. Naled, the active ingredient in the insecticide, is being investigated by the EPA because it breaks down into dichlorvos, a chemical that is considered a possible cancer-causing agent, agency officials said.

Got gardening problems? Send us your questions; we'll find the answers. PROBLEM One of my rose bushes is covered with tight, hard buds that do not open. I found a hole bored right through one of them. What kind of pest is responsible? Would an insecticidal soap get rid of it? SOLUTION Microscopic insects called thrips cause the problem you describe. What happens is the larvae bore into an unopened bloom, damaging the petals and taking up the juices in the tissue.

Experts are divided over whether naled, the key ingredient in Dibrom-14, is effective in controlling mosquitoes. The insecticide kills adult mosquitoes but does not kill the larvae, leading Frederick Plapp, an insect toxicologist at Texas A&M University, said. The adult mosquitoes killed by spraying are replaced the next day by young mosquitoes. "It doesn't do a hell of a lot to mosquitoes and to anyone else either," Plapp said. "It ain't worth the effort as far as I'm concerned."

A specially equipped Air Force C-130 aircraft will spray Langley Air Force Base and nearby areas with insecticide to control mosquitoes on Saturday evening, base officials said Thursday. To be sprayed will be the base, parts of Hampton, Poquoson, and York County, including the areas of Dare, Seaford, Grafton, Tabb and Bethel Manor up to the Bay Tree Point area. The low-altitude flights have been scheduled between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. The insecticide, Dibrom-14, is not harmful to most humans and animals, Air Force officials say, although residents allergic to Dibrom-14 should stay indoors for at least a half an hour after spraying.

BOY, 11, CHARGED WITH MURDER ATTEMPT HAMPTON - An 11-year-old Northampton boy has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly poisoning his stepfather's food, police said. The boy, who is not being identified because he is a minor, allegedly put insecticide in his stepfather's breakfast Wednesday morning, police Lt. Eddie Watts said. Watts said the stepfather became suspicious when he saw that the insecticide was not in its normal place, Watts said. When he examined his breakfast, he noticed grains that appeared to be insecticide, Watts said.

COMMON NAME: Mealybug DESCRIPTION: Piercing, sap-sucking insects that may reach 1/3 inch in length. Flattened oval bodies covered with white waxy powder. Short soft spines protrude from edges. TARGET: Common problem on many house plants; also attacks trees and shrubs during warm weather. Like to feed on soft tissues of plants. SIGNS: Congregate in masses on stems, branches and leaves and wrap themselves in sticky white cotton-like mass that repels water and insecticides.

Got gardening problems? Send us your questions; we'll find the answers. PROBLEM One of my rose bushes is covered with tight, hard buds that do not open. I found a hole bored right through one of them. What kind of pest is responsible? Would an insecticidal soap get rid of it? SOLUTION Microscopic insects called thrips cause the problem you describe. What happens is the larvae bore into an unopened bloom, damaging the petals and taking up the juices in the tissue.

DO IT TODAY MOSQUITO SPRAYING. The insecticide normally leaves no visible residue and is not harmful to most humans and animals, except bees. Area beekeepers are warned to protect their hives from the spray because it is lethal to bees. Residents who are allergic to the insecticide should remain indoors for at least 30 minutes after the spraying, according to the Air Force. For information call: Hampton 727-1132 or 727-1146 York County 898-0135 Newport News 249-5745 BLOODMOBILE VISITS.

COMMON NAME: Mealybug DESCRIPTION: Piercing, sap-sucking insects that may reach 1/3 inch in length. Flattened oval bodies covered with white waxy powder. Short soft spines protrude from edges. TARGET: Common problem on many house plants; also attacks trees and shrubs during warm weather. Like to feed on soft tissues of plants. SIGNS: Congregate in masses on stems, branches and leaves and wrap themselves in sticky white cotton-like mass that repels water and insecticides.

Insects need to be studied carefully to distinguish the beneficial from the harmful. People have often gone to great trouble and expense to destroy quantities of insects, only to learn later that the insects destroyed were not only harmless but were actually engaged in saving their crops or ornamental plants by eating destructive insects. Insects are beneficial to the gardener in several ways: Insects aid in the production of fruits, seeds, vegetables and flowers by pollinating the blossoms.

A specially equipped Air Force C-130 aircraft will spray Langley Air Force Base and nearby areas with insecticide to control mosquitoes on Saturday evening, base officials said Thursday. To be sprayed will be the base, parts of Hampton, Poquoson, and York County, including the areas of Dare, Seaford, Grafton, Tabb and Bethel Manor up to the Bay Tree Point area. The low-altitude flights have been scheduled between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. The insecticide, Dibrom-14, is not harmful to most humans and animals, Air Force officials say, although residents allergic to Dibrom-14 should stay indoors for at least a half an hour after spraying.

Whether or not the Chesapeake Bay lives or dies depends on more than just the people who make their living from or near local waters. It is a collective responsibility that includes at least six states. A group of students from Warwick High School were given this message during a daylong excursion aboard the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's research and education boat called the Bay Watcher. {REST} Larry Price, an instructor with the foundation, took 25 students and Warwick High School general biology teacher Boo Sievert out into the Deep Creek area to show them the importance of life beneath and above the water's surface.

Proper grooming and good nutrition go a long way in keeping your pet's skin healthy. Although specific diseases and genetics also play a role in determining the condition of an animal's skin, keeping it clean and parasite-free improves your pet's overall appearance and serves to make it as comfortable as possible. A cat or dog's most common parasitic enemy is the flea. These can only be eliminated by spraying your pet's environment on a 14-day cycle. No matter what the insecticide ads claim, no flea spray product kills flea eggs.

DO IT TODAY MOSQUITO SPRAYING. The insecticide normally leaves no visible residue and is not harmful to most humans and animals, except bees. Area beekeepers are warned to protect their hives from the spray because it is lethal to bees. Residents who are allergic to the insecticide should remain indoors for at least 30 minutes after the spraying, according to the Air Force. For information call: Hampton 727-1132 or 727-1146 York County 898-0135 Newport News 249-5745 BLOODMOBILE VISITS.

Proper grooming and good nutrition go a long way in keeping your pet's skin healthy. Although specific diseases and genetics also play a role in determining the condition of an animal's skin, keeping it clean and parasite-free improves your pet's overall appearance and serves to make it as comfortable as possible. A cat or dog's most common parasitic enemy is the flea. These can only be eliminated by spraying your pet's environment on a 14-day cycle. No matter what the insecticide ads claim, no flea spray product kills flea eggs.

Experts are divided over whether naled, the key ingredient in Dibrom-14, is effective in controlling mosquitoes. The insecticide kills adult mosquitoes but does not kill the larvae, leading Frederick Plapp, an insect toxicologist at Texas A&M University, said. The adult mosquitoes killed by spraying are replaced the next day by young mosquitoes. "It doesn't do a hell of a lot to mosquitoes and to anyone else either," Plapp said. "It ain't worth the effort as far as I'm concerned."